Yeast Efficiency

Hi, I am looking for recommendations for yeast strains to ferment sugar washes. Currently I am starting with an SG of 1.1, using champagne yeast at a rate of 40g/100L and fermControl nutrients at 60g/100L with some tomato paste but fermentation to 1.01 still takes 14-17 days. Need to improve this by at least a week and wondering what commercial yeast brands or techniques are recommended to speed this up? or do I just need to significantly increase my inoculation rates? Turbo brand is not an option. Too expensive. Cheers

Comments

  • edited April 2018

    You'll do a lot better if you keep your O.G. <1.080
    Healthier, faster ferments make for cleaner distilling runs.

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  • Thanks, I did wonder if that was the case. I did try that last brew and got it to 14 days but want it within 7 ideally.

  • This is just sugar wash for neutral right? Around 10kg sugar (or less) for every 60 liters water with your nutrient of choice and dried bakers yeast. I use like 100g/HL

  • Do check your pH after adding the sugar, just above 5 is great for a tasteless end product. You can adjust the pH if it isn't right, or see if you can find Five Star 5.2 pH stabilizer and let it do it's magic. Don't use more than 1g/L yeast, maybe even less (.8g). Bakers yeast will work but I wouldn't use more than 11kg sugar/hectoliter (6.5% ABV) with it, better use champagne yeast like Lalvin EC-1118 with 14kg sugar/hectoliter (8.2% ABV).

  • edited April 2018

    Which champagne yeast are you using?

    I have to say i like red pastuer (1116) much better than EC1118. As said 1080 will give you a 10 or 11% wash and that's as high as you want to go for fast turn around. I would look also at the nutrient schedule you have, maybe look up yeast bomb or some other added nutrient like some grain.

    The other option is to do an extra ferment.

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  • @Kapea said: You'll do a lot better if you keep your O.G. <1.080
    Healthier, faster ferments make for cleaner distilling runs.

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  • Man. I’ll tell ya. I’ve fought sugar washes for a long time and they are not easy. Best luck I had with 1.1+ was with turbo yeast. Works every time.

    That out of the way. You will have to build a nutrient base for the sugar. It’s not the yeast so much as the nutrients.

    Try the tomato paste wash formula then add about 4ea B vitamin pills to 200l all crushed and mixed with water to suspend them. It’ll go like the dickens.

    I fought the 2-3 week ferment until I used the b vitamins

    As far as yeast goes I’ve had best flavors from high temperature wine yeasts. I’ve only tried about 6-8 different kinds

    All that said I typically shoot for 1090sg as it goes faster and has less problems and flavors are More mild for a neutral.

  • @Fiji_Spirits said: It’s not the yeast so much as the nutrients.

    My experience with sugar washes (as a hobby) was that the nutrients weren't the problem as long as you had some nutrient, the problem was always pH crashes. Either correct that the hard way: after adding the sugar and nutrients measure and if necessary adjust pH, and repeat that every single day. Or do it the easy way: just add Five Star 5.2 pH Mash Stabilizer at the start, no need to measure or correct anything :-bd

  • Fermenting sugar washes is very similar to fermenting mead. Both processed sugar and honey lack the essential nutrients and buffering for healthy fermentation. Read up on meadmaking. There is lots of good information about meadmaking available out there.

    The AHA has a few free PDF downloads on meadmaking here (scroll down to mid-page):

    American Homebrewers Association Meadmaking Downloads

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  • @squeakyclean said: My experience with sugar washes (as a hobby) was that the nutrients weren't the problem as long as you had some nutrient, the problem was always pH crashes. Either correct that the hard way: after adding the sugar and nutrients measure and if necessary adjust pH, and repeat that every single day. Or do it the easy way: just add Five Star 5.2 pH Mash Stabilizer at the start, no need to measure or correct anything :-bd

    I had some issues with that too. Typically I will use rainwater then check my ph and add a bit of baking soda to bring it to my desired level after I’ve added the sugar but before I add yeast. I get a buffer effect. Occasionally I’ll have to add more if it drops below 3.0. But usually it’ll happily bubble along at 3.2 just fine.

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